...an award-nominated Irish blog on Irish history and Irish politics-from today and yesterday:all 32 Counties !Updated a number of times each week . (Mirror site here)

" A wealth of information..."

"1169 And Counting is a wealth of information on our Republican past and present , and demonstrates how the Irish political landscape , like that of any nation, will never be a black and white issue..."

IRISH BLOG AWARDS 2017 - ooops! It seems that our entry application was "not completed in time to be considered.." (?) and, as such, we are not now in the running. But we wish all the best to the successful entrants and to the organisers, and we hope all goes well for them on the day!

Friday, April 30, 2010

REPUBLICAN PICKET ON PORTLAOISE PRISON TO BE HELD ON SATURDAY 1st MAY 2010 , FROM 12 NOON to 1PM.

The POW Department of Republican Sinn Féin has organised a picket on Portlaoise Jail for Saturday, May 1 at 12noon.

The picket is to show solidarity with the CIRA POWs who are undertaking a 48-hour fast from Friday, April 30 at 8pm until Sunday, May 2 at 8pm in support of the demands of the Republican POWs in Maghaberry jail for political status.

Currently the POWs in Maghaberry are locked down for 23 hours a day, leaving just one hour to fit in a visit (legal and personal), a shower, exercise and a meal. The POWs took over the canteen in the jail on Easter Sunday in protest against the deteriorating conditions which have since worsened. Show your support for the POWs and come along to the picket.

A private-hire bus for this picket will be leaving from a Dublin City Centre location at 10.30am on Saturday morning : the return fare is ten Euro per person. To book one of the last few remaining seats on this bus, please email me at - sharonosuillibhan@yahoo.com , leaving your name and mobile 'phone number.Thanks!Sharon.

" The systematic regulation of the Irish nation to that of a dependent off-shore island is becoming too real even for those parties and politicians who always felt it was a pity that John Redmond and his Home Rulers did not work out a full-time career for the fathers of the present-day Leinster House politicians within 'the single market' which the Act of Union, essentially , allotted us in 'the bad old days' .

BETRAYAL.......The (State) Gardaí used John Corcoran (pictured) as a (P)IRA informer. They allowed him to be killed by another (P)IRA informer, and have since refused to investigate his murder*.From 'MAGILL' magazine, Christmas Annual 1997.By Ursula Halligan and Vincent Browne.(*'1169...' Comment - their word, not ours.)

Eileen Corcoran has her own suspicions as to who the 'mystery caller' is, but she refuses to confirm that it was John's garda 'handler' . She does wonder, however, about the time her husband was arrested by gardaí, seven years before his death, and the way he was suddenly set free , although it had looked at one point that he was going to be charged. She says she doesn't know if her husband was a garda informer, but she doesn't rule it out.

The Corcoran children, seven girls and a boy, were distraught by their father's death. One of the daughters, Ursula, who was ten at the time, and the fourth eldest, took his death the worst. The doctor had to be called, and she was sedated. "You could hear her roaring and crying when she heard the news. She was soul-destroyed," her mother said.

Eight years later, tragedy struck again when Ursula committed suicide. She was 18 years old when she hanged herself in an outhouse at the rear of the family home. Her mother believes that while there may have been other factors contributing to her death, John's murder* played a large part in it - " It played a large part in all our lives," she said.......(MORE LATER).

TRADE UNIONS AND THE HUNGER-STRIKE....... From 'IRIS' magazine, November 1981.

In the twenty-six county general election on June 11th , 1981, trade union support was evident in the election of two prisoner TD's - the late Kieran Doherty for Cavan/Monaghan and Paddy Agnew for Louth - and in the performance of their seven comrades around the other constituencies in which prisoners intervened. Against all odds and the predictions of his opponents , Paddy Agnew topped the poll in his native Louth, with 8,368 first-preference votes.

Central to Paddy's victory - alongside other strong factors such as an excellent republican organisation historically and his being a popular local IRA Volunteer - was the unanimous support he received from the trade union movement in the county. The Dundalk Trades Council had long sent official representatives to the county H-Block/Armagh committee and it was on the basis of this and massive support for strike action in both Dundalk and Drogheda - the two major towns in the county - that there were numerous defections from the state Labour Party to Paddy Agnew's camp.

His chances, which were good because of the extent of republican organisation in the area, were assured by the active sympathy of organised workers throughout County Louth.......(MORE LATER).

Monday, April 26, 2010

Republican protestors picketing the British Embassy in Dublin , Saturday 24th April 2010....

A similar picket will be held at Portlaoise Prison next Saturday , 1st May 2010 , from 12 Noon to 1pm. Republican prisoners in Portlaoise Prison will , at that time, be on a fast in solidarity with their imprisoned comrades in Maghaberry Prison. Transport arrangements (from Dublin) will be announced as soon as same have been confirmed.In a statement released on the 6th April last , the Republican prisoners in Maghaberry Prison stated -

"Over the past number of years, we the Republican Prisioners in Maghaberry have experienced a continual decline in conditions and a steady increase in oppressive tactics being adopted against ourselves,our families and visitors.

We have encountered a lack of willingness,concern and urgency in our efforts to deal with the system on issues of human rights and moral decency. And now we find ourselves in a position where we can only rely upon our own efforts to highlight the injustices we feel daily. Our concerns of late come with the removal of a Republican prisoner from our wing on the word of the RUC/PSNI with a bogus death threat. Despite guarantees given to the governor, he was still removed.

This curious development comes against a recent incident in which information containing the details of the former governor were planted in the cell occupied by a Republican prisoner. All this at a time when visitors to Republican prisoners are being strip-searched by the RUC/PSNI.In recent times continuous lockdowns and loss of recreation are becoming more and more common. Searches have also been conducted on our families by the RUC. These lockdowns result in us being locked down in our cells for days at a time with no food, hot water and exercise, showers or contact with our families.

We, the POWs, have also witnessed the attitude of the screws becoming more aggressive with up to five assaults being carried out on Republican prisoners in the last 18 months, all resulted in Republicans being charged with assault in an attempt by a corrupt prison regime to cover up what is happening.The accumulative effect of these grievances and a lack of any other form of redress, lead us to concede the only way to stop these assaults and degrading treatment is protest."